Front clip protection & Window tint

[Mansderm161]

Just got my 3M window tint and it truly is amazing. I went 90 on windshiels with a visor strip on top and 70 on windows. I drove in at 9am and could feel sun through the windows, left at 2pm and could feel no heat coming through on way home. They filled out all the warranty info and presented me with warranty papers stating the products they used. They are a certified dealer in Myrtle beach and were great to work with. So glad I heard about this product thru this forum. Thanks to all

[InterBlog]

Originally Posted by rowiebowie

Interblog, I remember many years ago you could get windshields with or without UV protection. The only reason I mention this is since all our RV's started from a basic van, could it be your old windshield lacks the protection?

Maybe your glass guy can tell you if he thinks your new windshield may perform better than your old one (even before the tint). Of course I would expect the difference to be minor.

Good question - I don't know the answer to it. The way 3M presents data, they do not appear to distinguish one windshield from another. Here's an annotated screengrab of their representations. They make a general statement regarding bare glass.

You can also see the booger of a spec difference circled in red. For a visible light reduction of only 17 additional percent, heat rejection doubles. Taken at face value, this explains why the installer to whom I spoke was so adamant that I do NOT want CR-90.

[rowiebowie]

Originally Posted by InterBlog

Taken at face value, this explains why the installer to whom I spoke was so adamant that I do NOT want CR-90.

Looks like CR70 is the sweet spot. I was just willing to settle for a 20% reduction, and full UV protection in order to block the least about of light.

I also knew the side windows already had factory tint (little though it may be) and I hoped is was already equivalent to the CR90, so I should be well above the clear glass heat reduction.

I avoided doing the windshield because of the extra cost, risk of breakage, and we really don't feel the heat coming in there while driving. I also installed a custom carpeted dash cover in gray which seems to do a good job of keeping the dash cooler.

I wondered if maybe a new windshield would inherently have better heat reduction over your 11 yr. old original. Maybe your installer could answer that.

Please let us know how the saga turns out.

[rowiebowie]

Originally Posted by Mansderm161

Just got my 3M window tint and it truly is amazing. I went 90 on windshiels with a visor strip on top and 70 on windows. I drove in at 9am and could feel sun through the windows, left at 2pm and could feel no heat coming through on way home. They filled out all the warranty info and presented me with warranty papers stating the products they used. They are a certified dealer in Myrtle beach and were great to work with. So glad I heard about this product thru this forum. Thanks to all

Sounds like my experience so far as the dealer is concerned. I too got warranty papers and was satisfied with the process. They've been in business many years with a great reputation, but my dealer is not listed on the 3M site as "Crystalline authorized".

I didn't feel a complete lack of heat through my side windows afterward, but I went with the 90%, which is about 1/2 of the 70% reduction as shown in Interblog's chart.

Let us know if you notice any problems seeing out or seeing your side mirrors at night.

[InterBlog]

Replacing the 12-year-old windshield pre-emptively was the right call. Water penetration had begun in an area of which I was not aware. But no rust had developed, hallelujah (T1N Sprinters are notorious for rust at the windshields).

Windshield Man says that certain vehicles, this vintage of Dodge-plated Sprinter included, suffer from the issue of the wrong paint being applied between the frame and the windshield adhesive.

The manufacturers spray-coat the entire body of the vehicle, and then set the windshield into its frame without re-priming that channel first. The adhesive does not stick well to the OEM body paint - it needs a specific primer for optimal adhesion. So he said, "Your adhesive was stuck to your windshield but not well-stuck to your frame - it was coming loose here and there." They primed it before adding the new one.

I'm going to let the seal cure a few days (as he recommended) and then have the tint done.

Meanwhile, the new windshield is freakishly clear. It's almost like looking at augmented reality or something. I didn't think that the original windshield was in bad shape, scratch-wise, but the improvement is remarkable.

[Rig Rat]

Thanks to all of you for the great information on reduction %’s and $$ costs from all of your various locations!

Wachuko, I liked how your tint turned out from viewing your pictures!

However I'm not sure which film you actually got on your windshield, the CR90 or the CR70 ?

On your 3-28-18 post it was CR90 and 4-6-18 it was CR70!

Thanks!

Mark

[wachuko]

Originally Posted by wachuko

This is what I paid:

3M Crystalline - Windscreen Lifetime Warranty70: US$360.00
3M Crystalline - 2 Front Doors Lifetime Warranty40: US$250.00
3M Crystalline - SunstripLifetime Warranty40: US$40.00

Everything installed was US$695.50 with the tax

Mark,

That was a copy/paste from my invoice... had not noticed until you called it out... here I have been saying that I got 90 for windshield when in fact the install was done with 70...

Apologies for the confusion

[wachuko]

That actually explains why, with so a much larger windshield, the AI has less heat than my X5 ( done with 90)...

[Rig Rat]

Thanks Wachuko for clearing that up for me!

I got a quote for CR70 on the windshield and CR 40 on the door windows for $800!

From everyones posts, it looks like the sweet spot is in the $600 - $695 range.

Mark

[rowiebowie]

Originally Posted by Rig Rat

Thanks Wachuko for clearing that up for me!

I got a quote for CR70 on the windshield and CR 40 on the door windows for $800!

From everyones posts, it looks like the sweet spot is in the $600 - $695 range.

Mark

$800 was also my quote. $500 for windshield, $300 for both side windows.

I passed on the windshield for a variety of reasons (including price).

[Mansderm161]

Originally Posted by Rig Rat

Thanks Wachuko for clearing that up for me!

I got a quote for CR70 on the windshield and CR 40 on the door windows for $800!

From everyones posts, it looks like the sweet spot is in the $600 - $695 range.

Mark

I paid 600 even cash for 90 on windshield and 70 on doors in south carolina. I asked for cash discount. They did great job and the results in the sun are dramatic.

[Alex AVI]

Originally Posted by Rig Rat

Thanks Wachuko for clearing that up for me!

I got a quote for CR70 on the windshield and CR 40 on the door windows for $800!

From everyones posts, it looks like the sweet spot is in the $600 - $695 range.

Mark

Personally, if I did CRYSTALLINE on windshield, I would also do CR70. I think it looks great & I would not have problem driving even at night. BUT I am pretty sure that is way below legal in any state VLT 69%. Some states don't even allow anything below VLT 90%. Since I did LLUMAR AIR, I had 2 choices AIR90 VLT 84% or darker AIR80 VLT 77%. My shop, the largest LLUMAR dealer in Las Vegas said legal on windshield is AIR90 but because of the slightly understanding & accomodating local law enforcement, we are able to get away with AIR80 (they did ask to see registration is in NV).. I guess VLT 77% is rounded off to 80%. Anything lower, I would be required to bring a doctor's prescription or note. Just be sure to check what your local codes are and more important, what local law enforcement tendencies are.

The CRYSTALLINE dealer I went to in town (who I would have used if they had a facility to fit the tall AI) echoed same doctor's note requirement if I wanted CR70 on windshield. There is a HUGE difference in heat transfer between AIR80 & AIR90. So I would imagine the same for CR70 & CR90.

[Rig Rat]

Great point Alex!, Thanks!

In Ohio it’s 50 percent visible light transmission (VLT) on the two front windows and 70 percent on the windshield.

According to the 3M chart that Interblog posted, I can use CR70 on the windshield but can not use CR40 on the front doors because it’s only 39% VLT!

To be legal, I’ll have to use CR50 on the front door window.

Mark

[InterBlog]

---Bangs head on desk yet again---

So I started off this 3M junket

(1) trying to find a Houston installer,
(2) failing repeatedly, then
(3) getting a phone number directly from 3M rather than off the website, then
(4) successfully reaching someone, then
(5) postponing the job while I had a new windshield installed, then
(6) trying to call back the installer in whom I had confidence to reschedule, then
(7) reaching a non-responsive phone line yet again.



OK fine. Desperate times call for desperate measures. I started

(8) Googling using different search terms and avoiding the 3M website altogether. And by this method
(9) I found a guy on Hillcroft with whom I scheduled for Friday morning.

The Houstonians known as Tayara are going to chortle and think, "Gee, she likes to live dangerously."


This is exactly the kind of outfit that the non-3M-ing Galveston County installers cursed and warned me carried a high probability of rip-off. So if all goes according to plan, I'm going to put the logo validation method to the test. I will see the exact film before it goes on our rig, and I will see the logo on the installed product before I pay the bill. And I'll tell the installer these requirements in advance so that we are clear on how this job is going to go down.

It's a win-win situation for me. Even if the 3M foray turns out to be a bust, I'll get some great Tamil food for lunch. There's none better in these entire United States than there is on Houston's Hillcroft Avenue.

[Alex AVI]

Originally Posted by InterBlog

---Bangs head on desk yet again---.

INTERBLOG - I hope it all works out. Crystalline is worth the hunt. I thought I had a tough time finding a local resource but I am surprised you did too, in a much, much larger metro area. I want to try Crystalline so much that I am bringing an (almost classic) truck I rarely drive to have all windows done 👍😉

[InterBlog]

I may get to use a few of my new space blankets during the job. This tint guy doesn't have a canopy or a bay large enough for the Sprinter (neither did this week's tire sellers, and neither did the windshield seller). I may string a few space blankets between his existing canopy frame and my roof. It's better that the windshield be sheltered a bit during this job, I think.

[InterBlog]

Ah, I’m finally starting to understand the enormous cost discrepancy on CR tint job bids. This never occurred to me, but If the ENTIRE Sprinter windshield is done in CR, then 2x the typical CR is needed because cutting the top filler strip destroys another full length of the tint. If that top strip is instead done in another 3M product, it’s much cheaper. Hundreds cheaper.

Here is what the CR-70 looks like in person.

.

[InterBlog]

It is done, our CR-70 job. Let me explain and clarify what I said above.

Like a couple of dumb patooties, the store manager and I began this transaction by debating what material to use for the top strip. Well, shoot -- we came to realize that the T1N Sprinter *doesn't need* a top strip. This outfit had tinted Sprinters before, but not T1Ns. Our windshields are about 34 inches deep and the product is 36 inches -- so we can just barely squeeze a windshield out of a single strip (remember the curve has to be accounted for and the sheet has to be pre-shrunk to the curve, so the static depth of the windshield is not the controlling factor). Apparently the NCV3s need closer to 40 inches total, and so a single sheet application cannot happen.

Moral of that part of the story: If you've got a T1N and you want 3M Crystalline, make sure you specify that you have the smaller Sprinter when you're getting a quote. Otherwise they'll assume you're a 2-sheet windshield instead of a 1-sheet windshield. And by the time you're done with this whole process, you might want to be 3 sheets to the wind (I thought I'd make the obvious humorous association before someone else did).

Obviously, thus far all I did was drive home, so I have not tested this job under a range of conditions, but on initial analysis, I'm very pleased. The CR-70 is definitely not too dark. I still must wear my sunglasses. Here's a pic through the windshield, fairly true to life. On the lower pic, remember with that view you're looking through two layers of tinted glass, side and front, not one layer. So the tint is only half as dark as what you see there. It's not heavy at all.

[Alex AVI]

Originally Posted by InterBlog

Here's a pic through the windshield, fairly true to life. On the lower pic, remember with that view you're looking through two layers of tinted glass, side and front, not one layer. So the tint is only half as dark as what you see there. It's not heavy at all.

That is nice. It appears you can see very clearly from inside. And see the outside from outside the side windows through 2 layers. It surprises me that at VLT 69% looking through 2 layers is not darker. I can even see the dog inside the white pickup truck parked way out that driveway

[sheakev]

I did the CRYSTALLINE a couple of weeks ago. I had intended to do the 90 on the windshield and 70 on the side windows. Wound up doing the 70 all around and I believe that was the right choice.
Had to drive down to Chicago area to find a qualified installer. Cost was $550. I also had them put the clear chip protection on the front. That was pricier -- $1300. I am planning on driving the AL-CAN highway next summer and thought that it may give me a bit more protection. I did not do above the windshield nor the front wheel wells. Ran out of time and it was already pretty pricey.
Shop did a great job and had a high bay so no problem getting it in and out.

One note, they only had the 36" wide roll thus a small part wasn't going to be covered. I opted to go all the way down to the bottom and leave a little gap on the outside top portion of the window. That portion is within the tinted eyebrow and doesn't affect my line of sight.